Electrically heated brooder



May 30, 1939. c, H. WILLAUER ELECTRICALLY HEATED BROODER Filed Nov. 2, 1936 INVENTOR.

viltkw xvl v Y E N R 0 T T A Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Charles H. Willauer, Quakertown, Pa.

Application November 2, 1936, Serial No. 108,761

, 4 Claims.

My invention is an improved forced draft electrically heated brooder for chicks and the like, and is designed to provide a brooder of large capacity which can be supplied with ample vol- 5 umes of fresh warm moist air at small expense and in which circulation of warm air will be con-' tinued should the forced draft be interrupted.

The heater and forced draft apparatus of my brooder constitute a compact unit which can be g readily assembled with the canopy and ceiling brooding space may be admitted to the air heat- I ing chamber and diffused radially therefrom.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention the brooder has a brooding space, a blower, and a heater between the blower and the brooding space. The air current created by the blower passes through suitable passages from the blower 25 to the heater and thence to the brooding space under control of damper mechanism movable into position either for closing a passage between the brooding space and the heating space or for closing a passage between the blower and the heating 30 space so that circulation over the heater is permitted in either position ofthe damper mechanism. The passage from the blower to the heater preferably includes a drum containing water which iwarmed by otherwise waste heat and a 35 flue passing through the water at the bottom of the drum so that the air is initially warmed, as well as moistened, .by its contact with the water and its passage downward through the flue lying therein. The pressure of the downwardly flow- 40 mg current of air unseats the damper from the bottom of the flue toward which it is normally biased by a counter-balancing mechanism passing through the flue. The air passing the damper flows over heating elements which lie directly 45 beneath the drum and toward peripheral'ports through which the air is discharged radially beneath the insulated ceiling.

The'blower and drum are detachably secured to the ceiling and are housed between it and a 50 canopy or dome by which the brooder may be suspended. or the brooder may be supported by legs or brackets.

Suitable thermostatic and signalling devices may be provided to control the degree of heat and 55 indicate any failure of the mechanism, In the event of an unobserved failure of the blower the escape of warm air from the brooding space is prevented by the automatic closure of the damper against the bottom edge of the-flue. Such movement of the damper opens a central aperture in 5 the heater housing so as to permit the circulation of airthrough such central aperture over the heating coils and out the peripheral apertures of the heating housing.

The characteristic features and advantages of 10 my invention will further appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing in illustration thereof.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brooder embodying my improvements, parts being broken away to illustrate the interior construction; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken through the ceiling, heater chamber and drum and with the blowers shown in elevation; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

As illustrated in the drawing, a brooding space i is formed by a heat insulating disc forming a ceiling 2 having a slit depending peripheral apron 3 to permit ready ingress and egress of chicks to and from the brooding space. A heater housing 4 is set in the ceiling adjacent to the center thereof and contains peripheral apertures 5 and a top aperture 6 and bottom aperture 1 near the center of the housing. An electric heating coil 8, which may comprise ,one or more individually operable sections, is disposed within the housing between the central apertures and the peripheral apertures so that air passing from the top or bottom central apertures to the peripheral apertures is warmed by the heating coils and is diffused along the lower side of the ceiling 2. A plate 9 is seated on the flanged edge of the housing 4 and forms a top therefor and a bottom for a water drum iii. A flue ll makes a tight joint with the plate 9 and projects therethrough into the heating chamber and a damper l2 having a. conical surface is suspended in the heating chamber, coaxially with the flue, by a link I3 which depends from a fulcrumed arm I4 having thereon a counterweight l5 tending to normally bias the conical surface of the damper against the bottom edge of the flue.

The top of the drum is closed by a cover It containing a central aperture I! through which air may be discharged against a deflector plate l8 supported by brackets l9 depending from the .7 cover. The drum and its cover are detachably fixed to the ceiling 2 by bolts 20, links 2|, bolts 22 and wing nuts 23; 56

A duct 24 is fixed to the cover l8 and discharges through the port 11. The opposite end of the duct 24 has detachably fixed thereto the casing 25 containing register apertures 26 for the admission of air to a fan or blower 21 driven by an electric motor 28. The blower and drum are encased between the ceiling 2 and the conical canopy 29 provided with a ring 30 for suspending it should it be desired to support the brooder at a level higher than the length of the legs or supporting brackets 3|. A shutter 32 in the canopy 29 provides for convenient access to the mechanisms within the canopy as well as for the ingress of desired amounts of fresh air.

The coil 8 is heated by electric current supplied through suitable conductors 33 under the control of a suitable thermostat 34, and lamps 35 and 36 may also be included in the circuits, if desired.

It will be understood that in the normal operation of the device current will flow through the thermostatic control 34 to the motor 28 and heating coil 8. The current of air from the blower 21 passes through the duct 24 and ports I? and is deflected outward toward the periphery of the drum I 0. The water in the drum is heater by waste heat from the heating coil 8 and warms and moistens the air passing over the surface of the water. Such warmed and moistened air escapes downward through the flue H and unseats the damper from the flue and closes the port 1 so that the air flows horizontally outwardly over the coils and through the peripheral apertures 5. When the heat in the brooding space is sufllcient to cut ofl the current through the operation of the thermostat 34, or should the blower otherwise tail to work, the counterweight i biases the damper up against the bottom edge of the flue to prevent the escape or warm air from the heater chamber and to permit the admission of an to the heater chamber through the aperture Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A brooder having a brooding space, a blower, and a heater housing containing a heater between said blower and brooding space, said brooder having passages through which air is discharged from said blower to said heater housing and thence to said brooder space, the bottom of said heater housing containing a passage communicating with said brooder space, and damper mechanism movable into position for closing either said passage through the bottom of the heater housing or said passage from the blower to the heater housing, and permitting circulation over the heater in either'position of said damper mechanism.

2. A brooder having a brooding space, provided with a ceiling, an axially apertured plate spaced from said ceiling and forming therewith a peripherally open chamber, a heater in said chamber, a flue passing through said ceiling, a damper controlling said flue and the axial aperture of said plate, and a blower communicating with said flue.

3. A brooder having a brooding space provided with a ceiling, a. housing set in said ceiling and containing peripheral apertures and apertures in the top and bottom thereof adjacent to its center, a damper movable to close either the top or the bottom aperture, means for biasing said damper toward position for closing the top aperture, and a blower tending to move said damper away from said top aperture.

4. A brooder having a brooding space provided with a ceiling, a housing seated in said ceiling, a heater in said housing, a drum above said housing, a duct connected with said drum, detachable clamps securing together said drum and ceiling, and a blower connected with said duct.

CHARLES H. WILLAUER. 

